Oklahoma-based University faces Justice Dept. lawsuit

Posted By
Mazaheri Law Firm

This blog has previously discussed that some employment discrimination
situations can be reported to the federal government for investigation.
An institution of higher learning in Oklahoma is about to find out exactly
what that looks like.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University has been named as a defendant, along
with the Regional University System of Oklahoma, of a suit filed by the
U.S. Department of Justice claiming that the school has run afoul of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964. The DOJ claims that the university violated
the rights of one of its employees under Title VII of the act. According
to the suit, the university discriminated against a professor based upon
her gender, then retaliated against her when she reported said discrimination.

The facts of the case, as reported, are that a male professor of English
and Humanities was hired as an assistant professor in 2004. That professor
then transitioned to a female around the 2007-2008 school year. When she
applied for a tenured position, she was denied, even though her department
head and other tenured professors supported her application. In 2011,
the school terminated the professor's employment because she had not
received tenure. After her dismissal, a couple on-line petitions were
created on her behalf which garnered a total of over 4,000 signatures.

This case is indicative of the way existing laws can be utilized to protect
certain classes of people who may not be covered by specific anti-discrimination
statutes. While Oklahoma does not generally have any legal protections
for transgendered people, the DOJ has determined there is enough evidence
that this employee was discriminated against due to her gender, that a
lawsuit was warranted. Individuals having questions about illegal workplace
discrimination or other employment law issues may wish to consider contacting
an experienced Oklahoma employment lawyer.